


The Liar's Web

by Maymay_Chan



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drama, Gen, Unlikely heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maymay_Chan/pseuds/Maymay_Chan
Summary: When the ones in charge are allies to the killers, sometimes the criminals have to be the ones to save the day. Sheila was a great kingdom, home to the strongest army, the best soil, the richest in resources both mundane and magic alike. The only downside was the criminal organizations, Eight, Vice, and the Spiderwebs. The difference between the three were one was almost a complete myth, one was a gang of murderers, and the other were good people doing bad things. They kept their distance. Until the Spiderwebs found out the truth of their biggest enemies, now they have no option but to work together, with allies they normally wouldn't even glance at, to stop what's going on in the kingdom. Knights cut from the finest cloth, royalty viewed as a deity, a monster deemed indestructible, perfect warriors made by magic, and some criminals wanted dead or alive. It was an unlikely team of heroes that saved this kingdom, but nevertheless, they were our heroes.





	The Liar's Web

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written anything on this website before, let's see how this goes.

The court was gathered, not to watch an enjoyable evening or engagement, no, the court was gathered to watch an execution. The crowd didn’t even know who was being slaughtered, all they heard was that it was a master of a criminal organization, one responsible for thousands of deaths among the kingdom. Of course, the truth wasn’t so, but the people believed what they were told. 

Though, when the criminal stepped out of the walls the crowd was speechless, for it wasn’t the villainous big man they imagined, it was a young lady wearing a despondent frown. She walked towards the stage with her head held high, despite the possibly fake sorrow in her eyes. One could say she was the picture of hopelessness, despite the crimes on her shoulders the crowd seemed hesitant to cheer and shout. 

Of course they changed tune easily when the executioner stood on the stage, the people was easy to sway when it came to these things. The King himself made an appearance, standing there in his gold and silk, that smile like he’s solved all the problems.

“Today, I have finally put an end to the cult of Vice, who have hurt my people for years on end,” He spoke confidently, for a man about to murder a young lady for the sins of an entire organization. 

And how the people lapped it up, even when the executioner pushed a young lady to the chopping block. Though, as he raised his axe an arrow went right through his arms. And the heavy weapon fell to the wooden floor with a loud clatter, the young lady making quick work to kick the man off the stage. 

The crowd panicked, the guards rushed out, and she made a hurry towards the exit, a girl in (familiar to some) black fitting clothes jumping from the top of the wall surrounding the execution court, her curved blades making quick work of the guards attempting to get in their way. Along with an arrow here and there, they didn’t stand a chance. 

That was the day it went down in history, three people escaped the royal guard with ease, and the King was outraged. But, outside the busy upper circle of the city, the three made themselves familiar with their escape route, the abandoned underground tunnels used in the old days for the royal guard. Now the guards had no access to the tunnels, but the black market and several criminal organizations did.

The archer took his hood off, slipping his mask to let it fall loosely around his neck, “Well that was exhausting, you’re so much work, you know?” 

She shook her head, “It wasn’t my fault, I was framed and used as an escape goat, and besides you looked to be enjoying taking on the royal guard.” 

He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, “Would I do that?” 

The girl pulled her scarf down a little so it didn’t cover her nose and mouth, “While it was enjoyable, I ask you not to get caught like that again, it was dangerous.” 

“I didn’t want to get caught, I am sorry for worrying you but I also got some good information when I was in,” She spoke, a smile on her pretty face, “Are we meeting the chief?” 

“The Chief is currently at home, we have to make a stop before we head back ourselves,” The lady told her, brushing her dark red bangs out of her eyes, “We’re meeting a client.” 

“A client? Isn’t this more important?” The other man asked her, glancing around them at the tunnel for a moment before digging in his bag, searching for something.

“It’s an important client, not just any street scum,” She told him, casting her glaze down, “Chief said he’s a high up in the lowest ring.” 

The girl stopped, “The lowest ring? We‘re suppose to be enemies to anyone of that association, why are we accepting a client from anyone coming from the underbelly of the underbelly?”

“Because he’s a dirty traitor, and we deal with dirty traitors,” She spoke, “Chief wouldn’t hear him out if it wasn’t important.” 

“I know, but,” She muttered, squeezing the fabric of her skirt. 

The group all glanced up as a figure appeared around the corner, a shady old man in strange attire for the black markets tunnels, “Well if it isn’t the bugs.” 

“What?” The man asked, “We’re kind of busy here.”

“I suppose so,” He spoke, walking by them, “But I’m surprised little bugs would be in territory that now belongs to Vice.” 

The man reached for his arrows, the lady glancing at him, “Clint.” 

The girl glanced back, watching him walk off, “He’s with Vice.”

“Leave it, pitting a fight in the tunnels will help nobody,” The lady spoke, “You both know better."

“Natasha, nobody would ever know,” He sighed, “Let me destroy the guy.”

“The spiderweb is better than the underbelly because they don’t,” She started, glancing at the two who traded glances before finishing the sentence.

“Kill innocents and start fights.”

“Good,” She spoke, continuing down the tunnel, “They’re also never late.”

They sighed and followed after her, arriving outside town at a rather desolated homestead, with the overgrowth remains of a farm and an old carriage missing a wheel. 

Yet, stepping in the old house, there was wood burning in the fireplace, and a man sitting at the table. 

“Oh, you must be from the webs,” He spoke, setting his mug down, “He told me he was sending some messengers to hear me out.”

The three were wary of him, but they closed the door behind them and stepped closer despite that, “Chief said you’re a traitor of Vice.”

“That I am, but you see, while I despite Vice, there’s another organization I would like to deal with,” He spoke, “I gained this information while working undercover with the cult, and if this mission goes through, I will gladly be your informant.”

“So let’s this get this straight,” The archer spoke, “We do your mission and you tell us everything you know about Vice?”

He nodded, “Exactly, it’s a simple business deal.”

“It all depends on what you want us to do,” The girl spoke, “What’s the mission?” 

“I want you to get a good man out of their hands,” He spoke, sliding a scroll across the table, “And after that, I’ll tell you the truth of the cult that is Vice.” 

The three traded glances before looking to the older man, it wasn’t a request normally given to the organization known as the Spiderwebs. 

Who are the Spiderwebs? A criminal organization that deals in upper ring crimes of the underworld deals, they’re considered the good criminals. They’re still committing crimes, but they’re different from the lower ring. The bottom ring is groups like Vice, who deal in violence and abuse, you want somebody killed? You go to them. You want drugs or to get in the organ trading that’s so popular among witches? Lower ring organizations are your go to. While upper ring deal with more like bounty hunters, they will bring you a criminal but they won’t kill them, they’ll get you illegal information but they’re not to be blamed for what you use it for. The Spiderwebs are also known for assisting the people, they do a lot for the public so they don’t report them for their crimes when they see them. They’re still wanted, but nobody knows what they look like, well until now. 

Wanted posters of the three were all around the cities now, the top three infamously secret criminals of the Spiderwebs themselves. 

Natasha, code name the Widow, been in the organization since she was young, nobody knows where she came from, but she's said to have the highest kill count of anybody in the group. Wanted dead or alive, ten thousand gold pieces. 

Clint, code name Hawk, nobody was really sure since when he had joined the organization, known as the laziest member and yet still has accomplished more missions than most the members. Known for saving girls a lot, yet not being charming. Wanted dead or alive, five thousand gold pieces. 

And then there was her, (Y/N), she was the organizations insider, a spy known for being able to fake any persona and get in anywhere without suspicion. She had joined the group as a child, having no family or relations to depend on, so she found one. Infamous for looking defenseless and feminine, and being able to bring organizations and kingdoms to their knees. Code name, Orchid, wanted alive, for a miserly one million gold pieces. You could say the King wanted revenge for his embarrassment of an execution. The three made him into a joke, and he was more than outraged by it.

Though, the three themselves were sitting in the back of a carriage rather peacefully, listening to a traveling bard tell them the drama going on in the Capital. The girl though, studied the scroll given to them, it was a map to one of the hide outs of the organization known for marking everything with an eight. Not much was known about them, they were lower ring and suspected of dark magic, but other than that they were a rumor, a story on the winds. 

Yet she was holding a map that would lead her right to them. It seemed sort of unbelievable, like something out of a children’s tale. But nonetheless here they were, heading to an isolated piece of land where nobody else was in sight, nothing but a tower. 

“This is the place?” Clint asked, pulling his hood over his head, “Seems kind of abandoned.” 

“It is,” Natasha told him, pulling her blades off her hips, “They’re only here when they have to be.” 

The girl glanced up at the tower, it was dark and gloomy, obviously seen the wear of magic she thought, taking in all the signs and tells the building had to tell her. 

“What were they trying to accomplish?” She asked, adjusting her bag before pulling a pin from her hair, “I can get us in.”

“You don’t think it’s magic locked?” Natasha asked her, narrowing her eyes at the tower. No matter how hard she stared, she couldn’t see magic, even if she had always wanted too.

But the little spy, she was gifted, unable to use it but yet could see it. It was something not seen often, if ever, in this kingdom’s children. But she wasn’t from this kingdom, where nobody was really sure, she just sort of, showed up one day looking for a home. (Y/N) wasn’t a native name, it could be heard in some of the big countries to the east, but not here, and even then still rare in these days.

She stood up, putting the pin back in her hair before pushing the door open, “Okay, let’s go investigate.”

“This will be fun,” Clint chuckled, pulling an arrow from his back, “Ladies first?”

Natasha rolled her eyes, but entered anyway, the dark hallways were creepy, and the moment they got in the main room they stopped to look around, the stairs went both down and up. There was more than enough room for a lab down below, so they split up. They headed up, she headed down, lighting the dark staircase with a torch she held close. 

The downstairs was a lab, the remains of dark magic research were all around, she had to stop and stare at a book left open on one of the tables, it wasn’t in English, but she could understand it. The word immorality instantly stood out to her, the letters were burned in her mind already, it was the most dangerous and yet most sought after magic. Though, all magic journals referred to it as either a blessing or a curse, depending on the author. 

Interestingly enough, other things around the room lead her to believe they were seeking strength, abilities not possible for humankind, what most criminals seem to want. 

She sighed, picking up the book for future reference before glancing around the room more. She slid her hand across a door, coughing at the dust that fell off it as she pushed the door open, she held the torch out to light up the dark room, watching her feet as she entered. 

What did Eight do, nobody knew, but she rubbed the dust off the glass looking into another room, though she didn’t see the door anywhere going to said room. The glass was stained, no way to see inside where she stood, it was obviously old.

The girl pulled a orb from her bag, putting it the glass, with a click to the center it lit up and put a crack across the glass, causing it the shatter gently and not sending pieces of glass across the room. The magic tools were a big piece to the difference between the Spiderwebs and the other criminal groups, they made their job easier and less destructive.

Nonetheless, she put her hands on the seal, pulling herself over the short wall and stepping into the small room. She froze as a sword was pointed to her throat, glancing at the figure standing in the shadows. 

“Hello,“ She spoke softly, putting her hands up slightly, showing she meant no harm. 

The sword seemed to shake ever so slightly but it stayed where it was, “Who are you?” 

“I’m (Y/N), from the Spiderwebs, we were asked to save a good man,” She spoke, a gentle smile to her lips, “Have you seen any around here?” 

The sword went down slowly, the figure stepping closer, the light from the lantern on the table in the other area shining just enough to show his features. The girl seem to freeze, it wasn’t what she expected to say the least, the young man staring back at her with bright eyes. 

“The Spiderwebs?” He asked her, “That doesn’t sound like the kind of organization to be saving anyone, let alone somebody from Eight.” 

She glanced back at the lantern before looking to him, “Well, you could call us the light in the dark, we’re a criminal organization too, just, different.” 

“Different how?” He spoke, and she found herself ever so interested in the young man, and exactly what he was. That curiosity had gotten her in plenty of trouble before, but yet the Chief never got on to her for being so. Perhaps that’s why she was the way she was.

“Well, we’re against dark magic, especially when it’s being used without permission of the subject,” She spoke, “And we’re against killing innocents and starting fights, oh but we finish plenty.”

Her chuckle seemed out of place in the dark magic lab, but he found himself curious to her cheerfulness, just who was this young girl claiming to be a criminal and yet showing up saying she was here to save him. He was conflicted, and yet he found himself wanting to trust her, wanting to believe in this organization named after the works of such tiny creatures.

“So you’re here to save me?” He asked, staring at the girl in such a soft looking dress, her hair tied back and curling softly, looking oh so fragile.

“Yeah, do you want to be?” She asked, looking up to meet his eyes, she had no doubt or lies in her eyes, if that even made sense, it didn’t to him and yet he found himself thinking such. 

“I’d beg for it,” His words out of his mouth, she turned, climbing back over the half wall to grab her lantern.

“Well, that’s unnecessary, we’re already here,” She told him, “Shall we go? My partners are upstairs.”

He found himself following after her, leaving the dark lab behind him, and following the light she carried. They headed up stairs, where the other two were looking through books and records on scrolls. 

“I found him, what did you find?” She spoke, stepping into the dusty and dark library. 

“Scrolls belonging to this Eight group, we need to bring some of this back to Chief,” Natasha spoke, tossing one to the girl, who unrolled it to study it. It was an old lost language, but she could read it, though she only skimmed it before rolling it back to slide it in her bag.

“How much do we want?” Clint sighed, stuffing random books and scrolls in his bag, quite obviously.

“That should be fine,” She spoke, standing to glance at the girl and the man standing behind her, “We can talk when we get out of here, I imagine it isn’t somewhere you want to be any longer than you have to.”

And so the group found itself walking back through the overgrown forest, to the horse and carriage left behind for them. Once settled in, they glanced to the young man, who seemed uncomfortable.

“Oh, I didn’t get your name,” (Y/N) spoke, resting her hands on her lap.

“James,” He spoke, glancing up to meet their eyes, “James Barnes.”

“Barnes? I haven’t heard that surname in a long time now,” Clint spoke, leaning back against the walls of the carriage. 

“Well, I’m not exactly from this time,” He spoke awkwardly, earning two stares quickly.

The girl nodded, “I thought such was the case, I skimmed some of the books around the lab, they were trying to achieve immortality and super human abilities,” She spoke, “May I ask, did they?” 

“I don’t know,” He sighed, shaking his head, “They achieved something, but it’s, I don’t know how much they managed.”

“You’ve been through a lot I’d imagine,” Natasha spoke softer than usual, “It explains some, the man that asked us to save you was older, and it wouldn’t be the first time somebody’s used magic to make humans live longer.”

Clint glanced up from his bag he was searching through again, “Others have done this before?”

“There’s a knight organization, they’re seen as legendary heroes, don’t you remember?” She asked him, “We’ve had a skirmish or two with them.” 

“You mean the Golden Shield people? Ugh, I can’t stand those guys,” He sighed, rolling his eyes, “They think they’re so great, just because they’re perfect knights.” 

“I thought the Kingdom outlawed dark magic a few years back? Even for good causes,” (Y/N) spoke, glancing at Natasha, who was sat at the front of the carriage. 

“They did, this organization was founded before then,” She told her.

“So what are we doing now? Heading back to meet mister traitor?” Clint asked, dropping his bag to the wooden floor.

Natasha nodded, turning back to get the horses ready to go. But the little spy stared at her lap for a moment, lost in thought, about many a things. She was quite a complicated girl that one, not that anybody truly knew why and how much so. They’d learn in time, but for now the group of four found themselves heading back to the older man to hear the news, who was waiting for them in a tavern in a small village along their way. 

“So, we need the truth, what’s Vice planning?” Natasha asked him, barely letting the man get comfortable in his seat. They sat at the back, in a dark corner of the almost empty tavern, hardly a nice atmosphere. 

“You’re quick to the punches aren’t you,” He chuckled, “It’s nice to see you well and safe Barnes, I’ve heard many a thing about you.”

“About me?” The young man asked, obviously confused who this man was.

“Yes, I knew a friend of yours, but that aside, let’s talk about Vice,” He spoke, resting his hands on the table, “You, young Miss, did you wonder why the King was so quick to put all of Vice’s crimes on your shoulders?”

She nodded, “Well yes, it was quite odd how he painted me as their leader without so much as questioning me.” 

“I was wondering about that, why did he put it all on (Y/N), they had to know she was a spy,” Natasha spoke up, “It didn’t make any sense for the usual elite investigating King, why?” 

“The self acclaimed war on Vice has been going on for ten years, and yet, Vice has never once been attacked or even bothered by the Kingdom’s guards,” He spoke, “Because the King has no intention of fighting Vice, they bring him more gold and power than anybody.”

“Wait,” Clint spoke quickly, “Vice is in with the King?” 

“You could even argue the King is in Vice, they’re business partners,” He explained, “If somebody bothers or questions the King, they’re killed off, he can charge less taxes because Vice gives him thirty percent of everything they steal from his people, he’s even had them bother other countries before and cause problems for him to solve.”

The table was quiet, nobody would have expected that, sure the King had always left a bad aftertaste to the Spiderwebs, but they never would have seen him as a full blown enemy all along. Especially not one working along with Vice, the so called enemy to the people, he had called it such himself. 

The group wasn’t sure what to do with information, which was why they headed back home with heavy hearts, to tell the chief everything. They had always been criminals, but they were for the people, they would never want to be the enemy of the people. If they targeted the King, the people would turn on them faster than they could explain themselves. 

The chief sat at a table, looking out at the mess hall below, which was full of the organization’s cheerful banter. Yet the mood in the balcony was tense and gloomy.

“What do we do about this?” Natasha asked him flatly, getting to the point of the problem without dodging around the subject.

“If we fight him, the people will call us villains, if we leave it be, we’ll think ourselves villains,” He spoke, glancing at the group of three, “What do you think we should do?”

“We’ve never just left a problem before,” Clint spoke, crossing his arms over his chest, “But we don’t want to disappoint the people either.”

Natasha sighed, “We can’t just leave it, but I’m not sure what options we have.” 

(Y/N) frowned, squeezing her fists slightly before stepping a little closer, “Chief we can’t just let this be, we have to do something, we’re the only ones who can.” 

“I understand that, but what do you want us to do?” He asked her.

She sighed, “Can I try telling some knights, to see if maybe they’ll believe us? I know it’s a long shot but I’d like to try! Or try and get the people to know,” She spoke, before sighing, no idea what to do but wanting to do something, anything. 

“You’ve always wanted to do what’s right (Y/N), no matter the cost, but I can’t let you put yourself in danger to help people who won’t hear you out,” He spoke, sighing at her frown, “It’s my job to keep you all safe, even if that means leaving threats be.” 

“But the man with the most power in this kingdom is lying! He’s doing his home wrong, I can’t allow that,” She spoke, “He's letting people die.”

“I agree,” He spoke, “But I can’t let you make a move before I figure out a plan of action.”

They got nothing accomplished, and so she sulked, walking to the medic’s room to check if they were done with the check up. The chief wanted the young man to get a check up to make sure he was okay, and for the medics with magic to try and see exactly how dark magic has effected his body and health.

She knocked softly on the door before entering the room, the medic stepping out from behind a curtain, “(Y/N) I know you’re curious, but let me finish.”

She chuckled, “Sorry, how is he?” 

“Changing,” The older girl told her, stepping closer, “And yet me tell you, I’ve seen a lot of half naked soldiers in my day, but damn.” 

The girls just laughed, “Now now, stick to your job our dear best medic, wouldn’t want to lose that title.”

“Shush, you’d stare too, the arm’s pretty gorgeous too, it’s made of a special material, some sort of metal, but it definitely has magic properties,” She explained, sitting on a stool to write some notes on a blank book that she had opened, which was just for keeping her records of her patients, “Have you ever seen anything like it?”

“It did seem familiar, the magic it let off anyway,” (Y/N) told her, “I feel like I’ve sensed it before but I don’t know where, somewhere out of this country I think.” 

The medic nodded, glancing up from her scroll, “Well in good news, the dark magic didn’t seem to harm him in anyway physically, I can’t say the same for mentally, you know how it is and what it can do to a person,” She spoke, glancing up at the the young spy, “But he seems healthy, magic wise, his strength is much stronger than that of an average person, he shows no sign of age despite his age but I don’t think it’s full on immortality, we can’t be sure yet.”

“How old is he?” She asked her.

“Well he was born in the Golden Era, and seeing as two great and not great eras have passed since then, you’d be looking at around a hundred something?” The medic spoke, doing quick math in her head, which wasn’t her strong point as a healer but oh well. 

“Oh, the Golden age,” She spoke, slight disappointment in her voice.

“Not yours (Y/N),” The older girl spoke softly, “I know you were probably hoping he might be yours, but be glad for him that he isn’t, okay?”

“Yeah, I know, it’s better for him,” She spoke the words like she had spoken them before, “Sometimes I hope I’ll find mine though, and then I also don’t think that’ll ever happen.” 

“You never know, one day you might find one of them,” She told her, “Though, from what you’d told me, I don’t think any of them survived.” 

The curtain opened suddenly, the young man had changed into some more comfortable looking clothes, not his dark brooding clothes Eight had made him wear. 

“Oh, how are you feeling?” She asked him, looking him up and down by instinct.

“I’m fine,“ He spoke, somewhat awkwardly and stiff.

The medic hopped off her stool, “Well, I’m done examining you, sadly,” She muttered that last part before pushing her glasses up to smile at him, “If you need anything or feel bad, come back by, I’m the best medic around.” 

“Or at least the best illegal one,” The spy chuckled, earning a glare from her. 

“(Y/N), My practice is entirely legal, you’re the one making me guilty by association.” 

She just laughed, pushing the door open and exiting, the young man following after her much like a lost puppy. 

“What’s your boss doing?” He asked her.

She glanced back at him, “About? Oh the King thing? Well nothing for now, but I want to, I keep thinking who could help me.”

“Your friend, the red head, she mentioned the Golden Shields?” He spoke up, making the girl stop at his words, “They help these kind of things, right?” 

“You’re right, you’re a genius! What are we waiting for, they have to hear me out,” She spoke, hopping before spinning to smile at him, “I’ll be back! Don’t tell Natasha and Clint!” 

He watched her rush off like a whirlwind, no time to say anything, until she paused and glanced back at him, “And definitely don’t tell the Chief! Please and thank you! I’ll be back!” 

She slammed the door behind her, leaving the poor, confused, and sort of surprised, man standing there in the hallway wondering if maybe he made a mistake mentioning those people. But he had to mention them, because he had a feeling he knew exactly who one of those knights were. 

He’d find the truth soon enough, and the young lady made her way to the headquarters, well the outreach office anyway, of the Golden Shields. The legendary knights of old, who have lived longer than any, well, than most.

She adjusted her bag and fixed her hair in the glass of the window before taking a breath, and pushing the heavy oak door open. Stepping into the office where people would send requests, tell them problems, report things, typically they rejected them unless they were actually needed. Though some of the knights actually helped people with small things too, others weren’t as noble as the title suggested. 

“Pardon me,” She spoke, walking to the desk where a lady was sitting, “Um, this is the Golden Shields, right?” 

She glanced up from the book she was reading, “Well yes, do you need something?”

“I wanted to talk to them about a problem,” She told her, resting her hands on her bag strap, hoping they wouldn’t recognize her. As the lady got up to go back and find someone, she pulled one of the wanted posters from the wall, stuffing it in her bag. 

She glanced up as two young knights stepped out from the back door, well young in appearance anyway, “Good evening Miss.”

“What seems to be the problem?” One of them asked her. 

The little spy sighed, glancing around the room before speaking, “Well, it’s about Vice.” 

“Vice? No worries, the King has mostly erased that organization,” One of the knights told her, seeming so sure of himself. 

“I’ve heard quite otherwise,” She spoke, resting her hands on her hips, “Because I was told the King is in pockets with the group.” 

“In pockets- watch your tongue miss, you shouldn’t throw around accusations like that on a good man,” He told her. 

She frowned, “Good man? He almost had an innocent girl’s head cut off, your so called good man is letting Vice slaughter and rob his people and get off scotch free just so he can line his pockets.”  

The knight’s frown didn’t bother the girl, they were now both glaring at each other, “Miss, you have no right to speak bad about the King.”

“I do if the King is doing bad things, I thought the Golden Shields didn’t blindly follow the King, are you just like the royal guard or will you help me?“ She asked him so fiercely the legendary knight himself stepped back, of course he focused himself quickly to bark back at her.

“Get out.”

She screamed, stomping angrily in the puddle along the round, mumbling under her breath random words in some other language, said words that couldn’t be repeated. 

She only stopped when she sensed movement behind her, spinning around to glare up at the young man who just walked around the corner. The armor caught her off guard though, more so the symbol on his cloak's clasp. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to follow you,” He spoke, making an awkward face, “Well I guess I did, I mean I didn’t intend to be weird about it.”

She stared at him blankly for a moment, “Uh, can I help you? Or did you come to yell at me too?” 

“Not exactly, this is you, right?” He asked, holding out a paper she knew well, “I don’t think a wanted criminal would risk walking in the Golden Shields unless it was an emergency.” 

“You believe me?” 

He chuckled softly, a gentle look she didn’t expect from a knight, “Well I can’t disbelieve you if you haven’t told me about it yet, I’d like to hear you out.” 

The two ended up at a tavern in the town, the spy explaining everything to the legendary knight, it was an odd turn of events, but he wanted to believe her, he saw no reason for her to lie to him. She gained nothing if she was lying, and something about her just made him want to trust her.

He sighed when she finished talking, “I don’t want to say, but it makes senses, there are a lot of crimes that just seem to disappear, get swept under the rug and never get discussed again.” 

“I heard it from a reliable source so I don’t doubt his information, I just want to act on it, but unfortunately the Chief won’t let me because he says it isn’t safe,” She told him, resting her hands on her lap, “I don’t like to act without telling him but I have no choice, I can’t stand by and let people die for gold.” 

“Well, I’ll help you investigate, a lady shouldn’t be investigating dangerous places alone,” He spoke, nodding like he was determined to do so, “What do we need to do first?”

She had to smile, “Thank you, oh, I never caught your name.”

“Well I never threw it, forgive me miss, it’s Steven,” He told her, “Steven Rogers, one of the captains of the Golden Shields.” 

“I’m (Y/N), spy and informant of the Spiderwebs, but I suppose you already knew that,” She chuckled softly.

They glanced up as the doors swung open, a bunch of men in armor walking in, familiar crests to anybody living in Sheila, the royal knights. (Y/N) shrunk a little in her seat, casually holding the menu in front of her face to glance out at them, the knight sitting across from her glancing at the men. Unfortunately one of them saw him and had a weird grin plastered across his face, crossing the tavern with a jaunt. 

“Well well, Rogers, what are you doing here?” He hummed, leaning his elbow against the booth, glancing at the girl hiding behind the paper menu, “Having an important Shield meeting?” 

“Stark,” He sighed, “I’m kind of having dinner with a friend at the moment.”

“You have friends? Truly?” He asked him, glancing back at the girl, “Who?”

She sighed, laying the menu down softly to sit up straight, “Can I help you? Royal Knight?” 

“Hello, wow, Rogers I’m impressed, good job,” He spoke, nodding before glancing back at the young man, “You’ve earned my respect.” 

“Wow you have no idea how much it means to me,” He spoke, his voice dripping in sarcasm, but still strangely respectful, “In all honestly Stark, I am a little busy.” 

“Yes yes I know, but you have to hear me out here for a second, did you hear the rumors?” He asked him, leaning a little closer and speaking softer too, “They say the people aren’t too happy with the King because he wanted to execute a young lady without a trial.” 

“The King tried to execute a young lady without giving her a trial?” He asked him, and the spy just sort of awkwardly sipped her cider, avoiding the conversation. 

“That’s what I heard, the Spiderwebs broke her out, three people managed to escape the court by themselves, the King’s got some backlash now,” He told him, narrowing his eyes as the blond knight glanced at the girl sitting across from him with some wide eyes for a second, causing the royal knight to glance at her too, “What, were you there or something?”

“Me? Oh that sounds terrifying,” She spoke, putting her hand to her heart with a smile. 

“You look familiar, and I don’t know why, I never forget a face you know,” He chuckled, staring at her a little too close. 

She blinked, showing a perfect spy smile, “I would remember meeting a royal knight I’d like to think.”

They stared at each other for a moment, before the knight captain spoke up, "Why are the royal knights out here? It's a long ways from the capital."

"Oh, the General wanted us to check all the guard check points in the smaller villages and towns, which personally I think sounds more like he wants us out of town for a little while," He told him, casually sitting down at the booth beside him, the girl raising an eyebrow at his actions but nonetheless her curiosity wouldn't let her not ask the question that was bothering her.

"What's your opinion on the theory about the King being in with Vice?" She asked him straight out, yet he didn't seem that bothered by her words.

He shrugged, waving the waitress over to ask for a drink, "I haven't heard the theory yet, but hell, I'd buy it, that guy always rubbed me the wrong way." 

"Truly?" She asked him, "You're a royal knight though."

"It's the best job in the Kingdom beside being a royal, doesn't mean I like the guy, sure wouldn't risk my life for him," He told her, "What's a young lady doing theorizing about the King?"

She hummed, shrugging her shoulders in a strangely feminine way, "I suppose you could say we don't have the best history."

"You know the King?" He asked her, the knight captain beside him sighing at the girl's honestly. 

They all glanced up as one of the royal knights walked over to speak to the man, "Anthony, you won't believe," He laughed, freezing to stare at the young lady, "Isn't that the Orchid?"

She sighed, "Naturally."

The girl picked up her glass in a quick motion, splashing the cider in the man's face to buy time to slip by him, though by that point it wasn't like the whole tavern knew the girl with a one million gold piece bounty was there. Rogers hurried after her, pulling his shield instead of his sword out to knock one of the knights over.

"I was hoping we could get through this without a fight," He told her, dodging a sword to trip a guy.

The girl ducked, letting the knights accidentally hit each other instead of her, "When you're with a criminal it never goes that smoothly."

They both stopped at the door, the knight standing in their way pointing a sword at them, well until a royal knight himself shattered his glass over the knight's head, "What are you two waiting for?"

They stared at him for a moment, before hurrying after him, escaping the tavern and hurrying through the alleyways to get out of the town's streets.

Once they were outside the city they stopped, glancing at the last person they expected to help them, well not last but at least one very low on the list anyway. 

"Who are you exactly? A royal knight has never helped someone from the spiderwebs, like, ever," She spoke, staring at him with a, more than a little, shocked expression. 

"Anthony Stark, and I do believe I told you, I never liked that guy," He told her, a rather smug smile on his lips, "Besides, I could never side with a guy who wanted to execute a pretty little lady without a fair trial, or at all really."

She glanced at the blond, who just sighed, and yet still wore a smile, "Thank you, but if you help us you're risking losing your job and title."

"And if we expose the King for being a traitor to his own people, I could very well be promoted, and not to mention praised, I think it's worth it," He told him, resting his hands on his hips, "Imagine, me as the head of one of the new twelve royal knight households, don't misunderstand, I'm helping because not only will it benefit the country, it'll benefit me."

The girl smiled, "That's the kind of allies the Spiderweb works with."

"Mutual benefit? How criminal," He chuckled, "I'm in, let's take down the King and save the Kingdom, where do we start?"

"Well, I'm not sure, I've never started a full on coup before," She spoke, "Let's ask Natasha, she's done that before, she'll have more knowledge than me."

"Natasha? A friend of yours?" The knight captain asked her.

She smiled, but the royal knight spoke up before she could answer, "You're speaking about the Widow right? I've heard there's not a person alive she couldn't take down, she's one of the most infamous criminals in the Kingdom."

"An infamous criminal?" The blond asked, seeming a little hesitate from those words.

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders, "Well technically yes, but trust me, Natasha is the best ally to have."

"Because you wouldn't want to be fighting against her?"

"I guess that's not completely wrong, but no, because if she's on our side, I don't believe we can lose."

**Author's Note:**

> ~Inspired by some fan art and an obsession with fantasy~
> 
> Because this AU is so different from the normal Marvel universe, some personalities will be sightly altered, due to the backstories and tone change. 


End file.
